Telephone distribution frame element, in particular a connection strip

ABSTRACT

A telephone distribution frame element, of the type including firstly a plurality of input connectors (14E) and output connectors (14S) disposed in rows, and secondly at least one filtering and/or protection module (17) to be inserted between the input connectors (14E) and the output connectors (14S), with channels (16) suitable for guiding the corresponding link wires being associated with the output connectors (14S). According to the invention, the channels (16) associated with the output connectors (14S) in the same row (20) are grouped together inside a guide plate (21) which extends on edge and in alignment with the row (20), and each of the rows (20) of input connectors (14E) and output connectors (14S) aligned in this way with the guide plates (21) is flanked on one side by a passage (22) in which a filtering and/or protection module (17) can extend. Application, in particular, to connection strips.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to telephone distribution frames.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is well known that telephone distribution frames currently usuallyinclude two types of elements, which constitute the essential elementsthereof, namely, firstly, "cable heads" into which the subscribercables, with their many constituent wires, are received in a givengeographical distribution pattern, and, secondly, "connection strips"which distribute the subscriber cables in number order, and from whichgo the cables connecting the assembly to the automatic exchange inquestion, with link wires commonly referred to as "jumpers" beingdisposed between these elements.

Filtering and/or protection components are also provided.

Currently, such filtering and/or protection components are disposed inthe cable heads of the distribution frame, and on the subscriber cardsof the automatic exchange.

The connection strips of the distribution frame are currently usuallymere connection terminal strips and are free from any filtering and/orprotection component.

However, in order to be able to increase the capacity of automaticexchanges, for a given volume, it is now necessary to move the filteringand/or protection components from the subscriber cards to thedistribution frame.

Therefore, consideration is now being given to inserting such filteringand/or protection components into the connection strips of thedistribution frame, as is already the case for the cable heads.

With respect to a cable head, in the French Patent filed on Oct. 31,1978 under No. 78 30896 and published under No. 2 440 636, theconnectors to be implemented are disposed in rows, each connector havingat least one connection terminal. The connectors constitute inputconnectors for connection to the incoming wires, and output connectors,respectively aligned with the input connectors, for connection to thelink wires. At least one filtering and/or protection module isassociated with the connectors, which module carries at least onearbitrary filtering and/or protection component to be inserted betweenthe connection terminal of an input connector and the connectionterminal of the corresponding output connector, and channels suitablefor guiding the link wires are associated with the connectors.

In practice, in that French Patent No. 78 30896, the input connectorsand the output connectors in the same row extend in the same plane, overthe inside face of one of the walls of a modular connection block, overthe outside face of which extend associated guide channels. The guidechannels are all distinct from one another, and each channel has anapproximately 90° bend between its input and its output. The filteringand/or protection modules implemented are in the form of drawers, which,for the purposes of co-operating with the connectors, have contactblades on the bottom surface of their bases, so that the electricalconnections between the filtering and/or protection modules and theconnectors are achieved by means of pad-type contacts.

Given its overall configuration, and unless its overall size were to beso large as to be prohibitive, such a distribution frame element wouldnot be suitable when, as in the present case, it is necessary to equipconnection strips with all or some of the filtering and/or protectioncomponents that are usually present on the subscriber cards in theautomatic exchange.

An overall object of the present invention is to provide a configurationthat would be satisfactory in that case, while also being suitable forcable heads.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

More precisely, the invention provides a telephone distribution frameelement of the type including, regardless of whether it is a cable heador a connection strip, firstly a plurality of connectors disposed inrows, each connector having at least one connection terminal, namelyinput connectors for connection to incoming wires, and outputconnectors, aligned respectively with said input connectors, forconnection to link wires, and secondly at least one filtering and/orprotection module carrying at least one arbitrary filtering and/orprotection component to be inserted between the connection terminal ofan input connector and the connection terminal of the correspondingoutput connector, with channels suitable for guiding the link wiresbeing associated with the output connectors, said telephone distributionframe element being generally characterized in that the channelsassociated with the output connectors in the same row are groupedtogether inside a guide plate which extends on edge and in alignmentwith the row, and in that each of the rows of connectors aligned in thisway with the guide plates is flanked on one side by a passage in which afiltering and/or protection module can extend.

In other words, in accordance with a first characteristic of theinvention, the filtering and/or protection modules implemented passthrough the connectors.

Advantageously, as a result, the assembly is extremely compact, therebymaking it possible to receive the various filtering and/or protectioncomponents to be housed.

Implementation is advantageously easy both during installation and whilein service.

In particular, in accordance with an additional characteristic of theinvention, it is advantageously possible to provide sockets, suitablefor receiving test pins, in the front of the filtering and/or protectionmodules.

It is thus possible to conduct tests on the subscriber lines without itbeing necessary firstly to remove the corresponding filtering and/orprotection module(s).

Also as result of the configuration of the invention, it is possible, ifdesired, to replace one filtering and/or protection module with anotherone very quickly, or to replace such a filtering and/or protectionmodule with connectors, so as to increase the capacity of the assembly,if no filtering or protection is required locally.

Finally as a result of the configuration of the invention, it ispossible, if desired, to pre-wire the incoming cables in the workshop byequipping their ends with the connection members that are required forconnecting them to the automatic exchange, so as to shorten thesubsequent on-site installation time.

Preferably, the connection terminal on each of the connectors of thetelephone distribution frame element of the invention is electricallyconnected to a contact tab which projects transversely towards thecorresponding passage, and the filtering and/or protection module is inturn provided with a corresponding transversely-projecting contact tabfor each of the connectors, which contact tab is suitable for makingcontact with the contact tab on the connector.

In this way, in accordance with an additional characteristic of theinvention, the electrical connection between the connectors and thefiltering and/or protection modules is achieved by means of knife-typecontacts.

Advantageously, as a result, it is very simple to implement.

Also preferably, the channels in each of the guide plates arerectilinear over their entire lengths, being delimited by parallelpartitions, are of different lengths, going from the shortest to thelongest in succession, all opening out into a common trough which slantsrelative to said partitions.

In other words, in accordance with the invention, each channel has nobends.

Advantageously, as a result, the link wires are very easy to install, inparticular when, after a first pair of link wires, a second pair is tobe inserted.

In accordance with another additional characteristic of the invention,all the channels are covered with a common closing panel which has asloping edge extending along the edge of the trough into which thechannels open out.

Once the link wires are installed and duly connected to the outputconnector in question, the link wires bear against the sloping edge ofthe closing panel.

The link wires then leave the channels underlying the panel completelyfree, thereby making it possible to insert new link wires if desired.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear onreading the following description given by way of example and withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a telephone distribution frame element,seen from the front;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view thereof, with one of thefiltering and/or protection modules that it includes being shown setslightly forward from the others;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view, seen from the rear, of theconnector-containing portion of the telephone distribution frameelement;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the detail that is referenced IV in FIG.2, and that relates to the filtering and/or protection module which isshown set slightly forward therein;

FIG. 5 is a view on a still larger scale and in cross-section on theline V--V shown in FIG. 2 through one of the rows of connectorscontained in the telephone distribution frame element of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary elevation view in the direction of arrow VIshown in FIG. 5 of the row of connectors, after removal of the cap thatis associated therewith and at the rear thereof;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary end view seen in the direction of arrow VIIshown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary perspective view on a still larger scale of aconnection terminal of the connectors;

FIG. 9 is an elevation view on the line IX--IX shown in FIG. 2 of one ofthe guide plates contained by the telephone distribution frame elementof the invention;

FIG. 10 is an end view of the guide plate, seen in the direction ofarrow X shown in FIG. 9;

FIGS. 11 and 12 are views in longitudinal cross-section through theguide plate respectively on line XI--XI and on line XII--XII shown inFIG. 9;

FIG. 13 is a locally cut-away view in cross-section through a telephonedistribution frame element of the invention, on line XIII--XIII in FIG.1;

FIG. 14 is a similarly locally cut-away fragmentary elevation view ofthe same element, seen in the direction of arrow XIV shown in FIG. 13;

FIG. 15 is another elevation view of the element seen from the insideand in the direction of arrow XV shown in FIG. 14;

FIGS. 16 and 17 are fragmentary elevation views of respective portionsof FIG. 6, showing two possible ways of using the connectors containedin the telephone distribution frame element of the invention;

FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view which is substantially analogous tothe view shown in FIG. 5, and which relates to a variant embodiment; and

FIG. 19 is a plan view which corresponds substantially to across-sectional view of the type shown in FIGS. 5 and 18, and whichrelates to another variant embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

By way of example, the figures show how the invention is applied whenthe telephone distribution frame element 10 in question is to constitutea connection strip.

Normally, the essential function of the telephone distribution frameelement 10 is to connect incoming wires 11E, forming the cableconnecting the assembly to the automatic exchange, to link wires 11Scommonly referred to as "jumpers", coming from the associated cableheads.

Overall, and in a manner known per se, the telephone distribution frameelement 10 includes a plurality of connectors 14E, 14S inside a housing12 which is described in more detail below, each of the connectors inturn having at least one connection terminal 15, namely input connectors14E for connection to the incoming wires 11E, and output connectors 14S,aligned respectively with said input connectors 14E, for connection tothe link wires 11S.

In a manner that is also known per se, and in a layout described in moredetail below, channels 16 for guiding the link wires 11S are associatedwith the output connectors 14S.

Finally, in a manner that is also known per se, at least one filteringand/or protection module 17 for the cable heads is provided in thetelephone distribution frame element, which module carries at lest onearbitrary filtering and/or protection component 18, which, since it doesnot come under the present invention, will not be described in anyfurther detail below.

In practice, the connectors 14E, 14S are disposed in mutually parallelrows 20, with the output connectors 14S being situated towards thefront, and the input connectors 14E being situated towards the rear.

In accordance with the invention, the channels 16 associated with theoutput connectors 14S in the same row 20 are grouped together in a guideplate 21 which extends on edge in alignment with the row 20, and each ofthe rows 20 of connectors 14E, 14S aligned in this way with respectiveguide plates 21 is flanked on one side by a passage 22 in which afiltering and/or protection module 17 may extend.

In practice, the passages 22 flanking the rows 20 of connectors 14E, 14Sextend continuously over the entire lengths of the guide plates 21aligned therewith.

In the embodiment that is shown more specifically in FIGS. 1 to 17, thehousing 12 includes firstly a cage 24 in which the rows 20 of connectors14E, 14S are installed transversely from one longitudinal edge 25 of thecage to the other, and secondly a support 26 which is secured to thecage 24, to the rear thereof, and in which the guide plates 21 areinstalled transversely from one longitudinal wall 27 of the support tothe other.

When, as indicated, the element is more specifically a connection strip,the support 26 constitutes a cabinet body which, in addition to itslongitudinal walls 27 and two transverse walls 28, includes a back 30 onthe side furthest away from the cage 24, the body abutting against thecage 24 via the opening in the body and being secured appropriately tothe cage.

For example the cage and body can be secured by clip-fastening andsnap-fastening means, as shown.

Since such means are well-known to a person skilled in the art, and caninclude many variant embodiments, they are not described below.

Suffice to say that, on one of its longitudinal walls 27, the support 26is provided with mutually parallel cutouts 31 suitable for receivingguide plates 21, and that, on the opposite longitudinal wall 27, thesupport is also provided with cutouts 32 suitable for snap-fastening theguide plates 21.

In practice, the rows 20 of connectors 14E, 14S are disposed in pairs,with one passage 22 for a filtering and/or protection module 17 on eachside of each of the pairs, and a gap 33 between the two rows 20 in eachpair.

The guide plates 21 are therefore also disposed in pairs.

In the embodiment shown, there are thus four pairs comprising eight rows20 of connectors 14E, 14S, and eight guide plates 21.

In this embodiment, there are also eight filtering and/or protectionmodules 17, comprising six intermediate modules disposed in pairs, andtwo isolated end modules, the corresponding passages 22 extendingbetween the end pairs of rows 20 of connectors 14E, 14S, and thecorresponding transverse edges 34 of the cage 24.

The support 26 is also provided with four cutouts 31 and four cutouts32.

In the embodiment shown, the filtering and/or protection modules 17 andthe rows 20 of connectors 14E, 14S are slidably mounted in parallelslideways 35.

In practice, in the embodiment shown, the slideways 35, which are alsodisposed in pairs, are clip-fastened to the longitudinal edges 25 of thecage 24.

In any event, in this embodiment, the filtering and/or protectionmodules 17, and the guide plates 21 form respective drawers which aremovable in mutually orthogonal directions for the purposes of installingor removing them.

In the embodiment shown more specifically in FIGS. 1 to 17, the inputconnectors 14E in the same row 20 and the corresponding outputconnectors 14S, i.e. the output connectors 14S in the same row 20 aredisposed in association in the same casing 36 that is common to the row20.

The casing is a body made of an insulating material, which body hasrespective ribs 38 both on its top portion and on its bottom portion sothat they can be slidably engaged in slideways 35 (FIGS. 13 and 14), thebody having mutually parallel grooves 40 over its entire height, whichgrooves are suitable for receiving the connectors 14E, 14S.

The connectors 14E, 14S are omitted in FIGS. 13 and 14 to make thefigures clearer.

However, they can be seen in FIGS. 5, 6, and 7.

In practice, in the embodiment shown, each of the input connectors 14Ehas only one connection terminal 15 which is open to the correspondingpassage 22 and set slightly back therefrom, while each of the outputconnectors 14S has two connection terminals 15 back-to-back in thisembodiment, one of which is also open to the passage 22 and set slightlyback therefrom, and the other one of which is open to the gap 33opposite from the passage 22 and projects into said gap 33.

In the embodiment shown, all the connection terminals 15 areinsulation-displacement terminals.

For example, each connection terminal is part of the sheet constitutingthe corresponding connector 14E, 14S, and, in two slanting segments ofthe sheet (as shown in FIG. 8), the connection terminal is provided withtwo respective slots 42 suitable for receiving an arbitrary wire 11E,11S, with the insulating sheath thereof being displaced.

Each connection terminal 15 on each of the connectors 14E, 14S iselectrically connected to a contact tab 44E, 44S which projectstransversely towards the corresponding passage 22, and each of thefiltering and/or protection modules 17 is in turn provided with acorresponding transversely-projecting contact tab 45E, 45S for each ofthe connectors 14E, 14S, which contact tab is suitable for makingcontact with the contact tab 44E, 44S on the connector.

The contact tabs 44E, 44S on the connectors 14E, 14S are curved, whilethe contact tabs 45E, 45S on the filtering and/or protection modules 17are straight.

In practice, each of the contact tabs 44E, 44S on the connectors 14E,14S extends in one piece from an elastically-deformable blade 46E, 46Swhich, in turn, extends in one piece from the corresponding connectionterminal 15, and is part of the same sheet as the terminal.

The contact tabs 44E, 44S form side extensions on theelastically-deformable blades 46E, 46E, each contact projecting relativeto one of the longitudinal edges of the corresponding blade, and, atrest, the elastically-deformable blade 46E of any input connector 14E isin contact with the contact tab 44S of the corresponding outputconnector 14S (FIG. 6).

Since, as indicated, the element is more specifically a connectionstrip, a cap 48 is provided to the rear of the input connectors 14Ebetween the row 20 in question and the corresponding guide plate 21, thecap co-operating with the row to delimit a channel 49 suitable forguiding the incoming wires 11E.

In practice, the cap 48 (omitted in FIG. 13) is engaged or snap-fastenedon the rear edge of the casing 36 of the row 20 in question (FIG. 5).

Furthermore, a duct 50 runs along the bases of the rows 20 of connectors14E, 14S, which duct extends transversely relative to the rows 20, andprojects from the corresponding longitudinal edge 25 of the cage 24,outside of the cage 24. All of the channels 49 at the rear of the inputconnectors 14E open out into the duct.

Each of the filtering and/or protection modules 17 includes a supportcard 52 having longitudinal edges which are thickened to form ribssuitable for sliding the card in slideways 35 in the cage 24.

A block 54 made of an insulating material and from which the contacttabs 45E, 45S project is attached to the front of the support card 52,and the various relevant filtering and/or protection components 18 areattached to the rear of the support card and protected by a cap 55.

In practice, each of the contact tabs 45E, 45S is formed by the end of ametal blade 56E, 56S intersecting a socket 57E, 57S. For the purposes ofoptionally inserting an arbitrary test pin 58E, 58S so that it can beput into contact with such a blade 56E, 56S, (as shown by dashed linesin FIG. 5), the socket 57E, 57S opens out in the front in a test field,which is thus advantageously easily accessible to the operator.

For example, the link circuits required between the blades 56E, 56S andthe various relevant filtering and/or protection components 18 may beprovided on the back of the support card 52 by using conventionaltechniques.

In any event, the contact tabs 45E, 45S extend in rows over the heightof the block 54 made of insulating material, and a ground contact 58 maybe provided on either one or both of the edges thereof (FIG. 4).

The contact tabs 45E, 45S are optionally offset transversely relative tothe main portion of the blades 56E, 56S whose ends they form, instead ofbeing in alignment therewith.

The channels 16 in each of the guide plates 21 are rectilinear overtheir entire lengths, and are delimited by parallel partitions 60. Thechannels are of different lengths, going from the shortest to thelongest in succession, and, in accordance with the invention, they allopen out into a common trough 61 which slants relative to the partitions60.

In practice, the channels 16 are covered with a closing panel 62 whichis common to all the channels and which is parallel to that wall 63 ofthe guide plate 21 which defines the bottoms of the channels, the panelbeing disposed substantially half-way across the thickness of the guideplate 21.

Along the entrances of the channels 16, the edge 64 of the closing panel62 is straight, level with the corresponding edge of the guide plate 21.

Along the trough 61 in which the channels 16 open out, the edge 65 ofthe panel slopes to a similar extent as the trough 61.

The overall outline of the closing panel 62 as seen from above istherefore triangular.

Preferably, and as shown, the partitions 60 delimiting the channels 16are extended into the trough 61 beyond the sloping edge 65 of theclosing panel 62, the height of the partitions tapering as they extendaway from the panel.

In other words, each partition 60 comes to a point as it extends intothe trough 61.

In practice, the trough 61 is itself delimited by a partition 66 whichruns at a slant over a portion of the height of the guide plate 21.

At its base, each of the guide plates 21 is provided with anelastically-deformable catch 68 for snap-fastening it to the housing 12,and more precisely to the support 26 of the housing 12 by means of acutout 32 in the support 26.

As indicated above, the guide plates 21 are associated in pairs.

Because their respective closing panels 62 are set back, the two guideplates 21 in the same pair co-operate to define a gap 69 through whichthe outgoing wires 11S can pass when they leave the channels 16 (asshown for one such wire in FIG. 13), which gap is in alignment with thegap 33 between the two corresponding rows of connectors 14E, 14S.

As shown in FIG. 1 by an arrow F1 for one of the outgoing wires, eachoutgoing wire 11S is inserted from the outside into one of the channels16 from the straight edge 64 of the closing panel 62.

When the outgoing wire 11S passes into the trough 61, it is divertedthereby towards the front, firstly via the corresponding gap 69, andthen via the gap 33 aligned therewith.

Then, by merely pulling the outgoing wire 11S from the front in thedirection of arrow F2 shown in FIG. 13, said outgoing wire can be guidedby the pointed end of the corresponding partition 60 of the channel 16in which it is engaged, so as to be wedged against the sloping edge 65of the closing panel 62, when the partition 60 is connected to theclosing panel.

The operator then merely has to connect the outgoing wire 11S to thatone of the connection terminals 15 of the relevant output connector 14Swhich opens out into the gap 33.

The incoming wires 11E are previously individually connected to therespective connection terminals 15 of the input connectors 14E.

When the filtering and/or protection modules 17 are installed, thecontact tabs 45E, 45S of the filtering and/or protection modules 17 areengaged with the respective contact tabs 44E, 44S of the inputconnectors 14E and of the output connectors 14S, by moving apart theelastically-deformable blades 46E, 46S of the connectors (FIG. 16).

The filtering and/or protection components 18 of the modules then findthemselves inserted between the input connectors 14E and the outputconnectors 14S.

In a variant (FIG. 17), a parallel connection is possible.

To achieve this, for two connectors, namely an input connector 14E andthe corresponding output connector 14S, the filtering and/or protectionmodule 17 is provided with only one contact 45, as shown in FIG. 17.

In an analogous layout, one tab made of an insulating material may beinterposed in this way between the contact tabs 44E, 44S of an inputconnector 14E and of an output connector 14S, for the purposes ofbreaking electrical contact between them.

In the variant embodiment shown in FIG. 18, the input connectors 14E inthe same row 20 are disposed in one casing 36E, and the correspondingoutput connectors 14S are disposed in another casing 36S.

But, as above, they remain substantially adjacent.

The same does not apply in the variant embodiment shown in FIG. 19.

In this variant embodiment, the input connectors 14E and the outputconnectors 14S in the same row 20 are disposed on either side of thecorresponding guide plate 21, in alignment therewith.

Therefore, it is as if the row 20 were merely split into two half-rows20', 20".

The contact tabs 45E, 45S of the filtering and/or protection modules 17then extend together on either side of their filtering and/or protectioncomponents 18.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described andshown, but rather it covers any variant implementation and/orcombination of their various elements, in particular with respect to thehousing.

For example, the portion of the housing that forms the support for theguide plates may be simplified, e.g. by it being reduced to two parallelend-plates, instead of it constituting a cabinet.

Furthermore, when the input connectors and the output connectors aredisposed on either side of the guide plates, the housing is adaptedaccordingly.

Instead of being mounted in slideways, the connectors may be fixed byscrews, and the screws may also be used for position setting.

Instead of being insulation-displacing, the connection terminals of theconnectors may also be of the wire-wrap type.

Furthermore, the present invention applies both to cable heads and toconnection strips.

In the case of cable heads, however, the incoming wires from thesubscriber cables arrive from the rear and run up parallel to the linkwires.

I claim:
 1. A telephone distribution frame element, of the typeincluding firstly a plurality of connectors (14E, 14S) disposed in rows(20), each connector having at least one connection terminal (15),namely input connectors (14E) for connection to incoming wires (11E),and output connectors (14S), aligned respectively with said inputconnectors (14E), for connection to link wires (11S), and secondly atleast one filtering and/or protection module (17) carrying at least onearbitrary filtering and/or protection component (18) to be insertedbetween the connection terminal (15) of an input connector (14E) and theconnection terminal (15) of the corresponding output connector (14S),with channels (16) suitable for guiding the link wires (11S) beingassociated with the output connectors (14S), said element beingcharacterized in that the channels (16) associated with the outputconnectors (14S) in the same row (20) are grouped together inside aguide plate (21) which extends on edge and in alignment with the row(20), and in that each of the rows (20) of connectors (14E, 14S) alignedin this way with the guide plates (21) is flanked on one side by apassage (22) in which a filtering and/or protection module (17) canextend.
 2. A telephone distribution frame element according to claim 1,characterized in that the passage (22) flanking a row (20) of connectors(14E, 14S) extends continuously over the guide plate (21) that isaligned with the row.
 3. A telephone distribution frame elementaccording to claim 1, characterized in that the connection terminal (15)on each of the connectors (14E, 14S) is electrically connected to acontact tab (44E, 44S) which projects transversely towards thecorresponding passage (22), and the filtering and/or protection module(17) is in turn provided with a corresponding transversely-projectingcontact tab (45E, 45S) for each of the connectors (14E, 14S), whichcontact tab is suitable for making contact with the contact tab (44E,44S) on the connector.
 4. A telephone distribution frame elementaccording to claim 3, characterized in that each of the contact tabs(45E, 45S) on the filtering and/or protection module (17) is formed bythe end of a metal blade (56E, 56S) intersecting a socket (57E, 57S),and, for the purposes of optionally inserting an arbitrary test pin(58E, 58S) so that it can be put into contact with such a blade (56E,56S), the socket (57E, 57S) opens out in the front.
 5. A telephonedistribution frame element according to claim 3, characterized in thatthe contact tab (44E, 44S) on each connector (14E, 14S) is made in onepiece with an elastically-deformable blade (46E, 46S), and, at rest, theelastically-deformable blade (46E) of each input connector (14E) is incontact with the elastically-deformable blade (46S) of the correspondingoutput connector (14S).
 6. A telephone distribution frame elementaccording to claim 5, characterized in that the input connectors (14E)in the same row (20) and the corresponding output connectors (14S) aredisposed together in the same casing (36).
 7. A telephone distributionframe element according to claim 1, characterized in that the inputconnectors (14E) in the same row (20) are disposed in one casing (36E),and the corresponding output connectors (14S) are disposed in anothercasing (36S).
 8. A telephone distribution frame element according toclaim 7, characterized in that the input connectors (14E) and the outputconnectors (14S) in the same row (20) are disposed on either side of thecorresponding guide plate (21).
 9. A telephone distribution frameelement according to claim 1, characterized in that the channels (16) ineach of the guide plates (21) are rectilinear over their entire lengths,being delimited by parallel partitions (60), are of different lengths,going from the shortest to the longest in succession, all opening outinto a common trough (61) which slants relative to said partitions (60),and all covered with a common closing panel (62) which has a slopingedge (65) extending along the edge of the trough (61) into which thechannels open out.
 10. A telephone distribution frame element accordingto claim 1, characterized in that the rows (20) of connectors (14E, 14S)are disposed in pairs, with one passage (22) for a filtering and/orprotection module (17) on either side of each pair, and a gap (33)between the two rows (20) in each pair.
 11. A telephone distributionframe element according to claim 10, characterized in that theconnection terminal (15) on each of the input connectors (14E) is opento the passage (22) and is set slightly back therefrom, and each of theoutput connectors (14S) includes at least one connection terminal (15)which is open to the gap (33) and which projects into said gap.
 12. Atelephone distribution frame element according to claim 1, characterizedin that, when it is a connection strip, a cap (48) is provided to therear of the input connectors (14E) in each of the rows (20), between therow (20) in question and the corresponding guide plate (21), to delimita channel (49) suitable for guiding the incoming wires (11E).
 13. Atelephone distribution frame element according to claim 12,characterized in that a duct (50) for the incoming wires (11E) runsalong the bases of the rows (20) of connectors (14E, 14S), which ductextends transversely relative to the rows (20), and all the channels(49) at the rear of the input connectors (14E) open out into the duct.14. A telephone distribution frame element according to claims 1,characterized in that its housing (12) includes a cage (24) in which therows (20) of connectors (14E, 14S) are installed, and a support (26)which is secured to said cage (24) to the rear thereof, and in which theguide plates (21) are installed.
 15. A telephone distribution frameelement according to claim 14, characterized in that said support (26)constitutes a cabinet body which abuts against the cage (24) via theopening in the body and is associated therewith, and which has cutouts(31) in one of its walls (27), which cutouts are suitable for receivingthe guide plates (21).